Radionuclides Migration Related to Alteration and Mineralogical Investigations of El Sela Uraniferous Two Mica Granites

Abdallah, Magdy; El Mezayen, Ahmed; El-Afandy, Adel; El-Shabasy, Ahmed; Draz, Osama; Taalab, Sherif A.

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2025.352763.11161

Radionuclides Migration Related to Alteration and Mineralogical Investigations of El Sela Uraniferous Two Mica Granites

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt

² Nuclear Materials Authority. P.O. Box 530, El Maadi, Cairo, Egypt

³ Radiation Protection Department, Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority (ENRRA), Cairo, Egypt

10.21608/ejchem.2025.352763.11161

Abstract

El Sela granites are located 25 kilometers west of Abu Ramad and primarily covered by two-mica granites, muscovite granite, and biotite granite, which intruded by younger types of dikes and veins. The studied granites were measured radiometrically by HPGe-detector and investigated mineralogically by Scan Electron Microscope and X-ray diffraction techniques. This work aims to evaluate the radioelement distribution and study the uranium migration processes in the two mica granites. Uranium contents in these granites are more than twice Clark values confirming their uraniferous nature. Increments in the chemical index were accompanied by decrements in both uranium and thorium, exhibiting uranium leaching during alteration processes with thorium adsorption on clay minerals. The 234U/235U and 238U/235U ARs indicate their shifting positively and/or negatively from the natural ratio, exhibiting the role of the alteration processes in redistribution radioelements. The 234U/238U ARs is mostly lesser than unity, manifesting 234U migration out in these rocks through the prevailing oxidation-reduction conditions. The plot of 234U/238U versus 230Th/238U clarify that the rock samples have been affected by leaching-accumulation events in the period from (>3 × 104 to ˃6 × 104 years). Mineralogically, the uriniferous granites have uranophane, kasolite, autunite, zircon, apatite, titanite, pyrite and rutile minerals.

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